Scripted series · BBC One
The Responder
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Martin Freeman
Chris Carson
10 eps
Adelayo Adedayo
Rachel Hargreaves
10 eps
Emily Fairn
Casey
10 eps
Romi Hyland-Rylands
Tilly Carson
10 eps
Josh Finan
Marco
10 eps
Warren Brown
Raymond Mullen
10 eps
MyAnna Buring
Kate Carson
9 eps
Mark Womack
Barry
10 eps
Philip Shaun McGuinness
Ian
6 eps
Faye McKeever
Jodie Sweeney
9 eps
Ian Puleston-Davies
Eric
5 eps
Adam Nagaitis
Franny
5 eps
Bernard Hill
Tom Carson
5 eps
Izuka Hoyle
Lorna
5 eps
Amaka Okafor
Debs
7 eps
Victor McGuire
Trevor
2 eps
Sylvie Gatrill
Mary
1 eps
William Travis
Stew
1 eps
Pat Winker
Mrs. Robinson
1 eps
Harry Burke
Liam
1 eps
Paul Campion
Doctor Sutherland
1 eps
Ian Hart
Carl Sweeney
2 eps
Dave Hart
Phil O'Rourke
2 eps
Hannah Riley
Woman in Shop
1 eps
Tahir Shah
Omar
1 eps
Steve O'Keefe
Taxi Driver
1 eps
Sonny Walker
Stevo Marsh
1 eps
Lois Cringle
Lexie Sweeney
5 eps
Elizabeth Berrington
Lynne Renfrew
3 eps
Chris Cairns
Attendant
2 eps
Jude Cooper-Kelly
Adam Mullen
4 eps
Philip Whitchurch
Joe
2 eps
Marji Campi
Elizabeth
2 eps
Nieve Hearity
Karen
2 eps
Rita Tushingham
June Carson
2 eps
Maud Druine
Ruth
3 eps
Laurel Waghorn
Laura
2 eps
Matthew Cottle
Father Liam
5 eps
Christine Tremarco
Dr. Diane Gallagher
3 eps
David Loy
Marcus
3 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Responder actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Responder reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Emotional Weight.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Under pressure, fraying at the edges. In relentless night-time Liverpool, copper Chris is paired with a rookie. Will they save or destroy each other?
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 10 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Series 1
20225 episodes
4.9IMDbPolice response officer Chris is struggling to keep a grip on his mental health.
Best episode · S01E01 Episode 1
Season 2 · Complete
Series 2
20245 episodes
5.2IMDbChris Carson is trying to go straight, but then DCI Barnes asks him for a favour.
Best episode · S02E05 Episode 5
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S02E05
Episode 5
In accepting a new flat from Franny, Chris becomes fully corrupt. His first job – to deliver Casey. But will Chris cross the line and hand Casey over to impress his new boss?
- Directed by Charlotte Regan
- Written by Tony Schumacher
S01E01
Episode 1
Police response officer Chris is struggling to keep a grip on his mental health and marriage when he is offered a path to redemption in the form of a young heroin addict.
- Directed by Tim Mielants
- Written by Tony Schumacher
S01E05
Episode 5
Chris is forced to work for a major drug dealer to return the drugs stolen by Casey. When Rachel needs his help urgently, Chris must decide where his loyalties truly lie.
- Directed by Philip Barantini
- Written by Tony Schumacher
S02E02
Episode 2
Chris and Rachel are on the hook to Franny, and the only way to fix it is to pay him. Chris’s solution? Get money from Jodie for picking up a bag of drugs from the docks.
- Directed by Jeanette Nordahl
- Written by Tony Schumacher
S02E04
Episode 4
Chris has Franny’s encro phone, but can’t decide whether to hand it over to the drug squad, or return it to Franny. As he wavers, Franny hunts him throughout the city.
- Directed by Mounia Akl
- Written by Tony Schumacher
S02E01
Episode 1
Chris is trying to get better and go straight, but when DCI Barnes tricks him into doing a dodgy car stop, he is drawn into a drug war between two of Liverpool’s top dealers.
- Directed by Jeanette Nordahl
- Written by Tony Schumacher
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S02E02
Episode 2
- Directed by Jeanette Nordahl
- Written by Tony Schumacher
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Martin FreemanExecutive Producer
- Rebecca FergusonProducer
- Mona QureshiExecutive Producer
Writing
- Tony SchumacherWriter
Direction
- Fien TrochDirector
- Jeanette NordahlDirector
- Tim MielantsDirector
- Philip BarantiniDirector
- Charlotte ReganDirector
- Mounia AklDirector
Cinematography
- Seppe Van GriekenDirector of Photography
- Johan Heurlin AidtDirector of Photography
- Matthew LewisDirector of Photography
Music
- Matthew HerbertOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Britbox Apple TV Channel Streaming
- BritBoxStreaming
- BritBox Amazon ChannelStreaming
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
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Where our editors would send you after the credits roll.
Never stop watching
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